Sage nodded.
“Why is he looking for it? What’s inside?”
“Directions,” Sage answered. “To what, we aren’t sure.”
Later that night, after escaping the village and riding for half the night, Sage insisted they stop so she could treat Marcus’s wounds. Sheltered off the road, beneath tall trees that waved in a soft breeze, they rested. Sage knew Marcus couldn’t get far enough away from the village.
She tended Marcus near a small stream as Raven and Landyn sat beneath one of the thin trees. Sage reached around Marcus, wrapping his ribs with a cloth. He was bruised and beaten, with black-and-blue marks already appearing on his torso, but he would recover. “You’re quiet.”
Marcus’s gaze focused on Raven and Landyn where they sat paces away, leaning into each other and speaking quietly. “I saw him at le Bezu,” Marcus said softly.
Sage glanced over her shoulder at Landyn. He held Raven’s hand, stroking it gently, lovingly, and speaking to her in whispered tones. It was strange to see Raven allowing a man to touch her so intimately.
Marcus bent close to Sage. “I don’t trust him.”
Sage inhaled and watched her sister. Raven bowed her head at something Landyn said to her, and a grin spread over her face. “But Raven does,” Sage replied. “That’s enough for me. It has to be enough for you, too.”
Marcus’s lips thinned in disapproval, but he finally nodded.
She ran a hand over one of the ugly, blue bruises on his ribs.
He captured her hand and brought it to his lips, pressing a kiss to her fingertips.
“They would have killed you,” she said remorsefully.
“But you reached me first.” He leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers in gratitude. “It makes me happy to think how angry Guillume must be that I escaped.”
“Hopefully, he thinks you’re dead, remember?”
“I almost was.” His look softened as he stared into her eyes. “Sage, I owe you everything.” He took a deep breath. “I want to marry you.”
Her eyebrows rose in surprise. “You’re just thankful that I saved your life.” She waved his offer away.
He caught her hand, drawing her attention to him again. “No. I love you. I want to share my life with you. I want to be with you forever.”
She gaped at him in disbelief as her heart beat wildly in her chest. “Me? Really?”
“If you’ll have me.” He bowed his head in remorse. “I don’t have much to offer you.”
She dipped her head to capture his gaze and stared tenderly into his eyes. “You have everything I want. There is no one else I would rather spend my life with. If you really want to marry me, I would be honored to be your wife.”
He pulled her against him and claimed her lips in a deep kiss.
Wife, Sage thought with glee. Then, she wrapped her arms around his back and gave in to his passionate kiss. Desire flooded through her veins at his expertise touch, at his heated kiss.
When they separated, Sage wore a grin that would not fade. Keeping her gaze locked on his, she reached to the ground and picked up his tunic to hand it to him.
As he pulled it over his head, she turned away and sat on the ground, sighing in contentment. It was almost too much to believe. If Willow and her father had been there, everything would have been perfect.
Slowly, her happiness faded. There was one thing left to do. She put her hand into her boot and removed the parchment pages. She spread them over the ground and began to decode the book.
Marcus leaned against a tree trunk and watched her for a long time.Wife.He could imagine no one more fitting or beautiful. He finally pushed himself from the tree and arched his back. He wanted Sage to finish decoding the book, but he was anxious to be moving farther away from the village.
He walked over to the four horses tied to the branches of the trees. His steed nickered as he approached, and he ran a hand along his nose. They had kept them saddled in case they needed to escape quickly. He walked around to the saddlebags.
“I saw you at le Bezu.”
Marcus turned to find Landyn standing behind him with his arms crossed. Marcus’s gaze moved over him. He still didn’t trust him. “I was there,” he admitted while reaching into the saddlebag to pull out a flask. “I trained there for a bit.” He uncorked the flask and drank deeply.
